Lace curtain



Aug. 28, 1934. H. GELLER LACE CURTAIN Filed sept. 9. 193s INVENTOR 0 @fl/ff 4W ATTORNEY mi. l. Mmmm Mmmm.

Patented Aug.- 28, 1,934

OFFICE '1.971,"112` l LACE cUR'raiN Hugo Geller, vNew York, N. Y.; assignor to Patchogue-Plymouth Mills Corporation, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 9, 1933, Serial No. 688,840v

' 8 Claims. (Cl. 156-10) J This invention relates to improvements in lace curtains.

t One object of this invention is a readily adjustable lace curtain of any selected standard size. 6 Another object of this invention is the prolongation ofthe useful life of any selected standard size curtain by automatically compensating for shrinkage in the laundering thereof. Another object of this invention-is the enhance- 10 ment of the aesthetic or ornamental appearance of the hung curtain. N

Other objects are economy of time and labor. According to this invention, the curtain is made appreciably longer than the standard'size window l5 on which lit is intended to be hung, to compensate for shrinkage of the curtain during laundering, the curtain top constituting in effect an xtension of the curtain throughout` its width, and a plurality of rows of horizontally and vertl- 29 cally aligned eyelets are fashioned in the said extension, the eyelets which are large enough to allow the free passage of a conventional adjustable curtain rod, being preferably woven in a. plurality of reinforcing bands forming an integral and ornamental part of the curtain top, the'number of reinforcing bands being dependent upon the number of rows of horizontally aligned eyelets, and said horizontal rows of eyelets beingv spaced vertically a sufficient distance apart, so 30 that, when the curtain top is folded transversely to bring two or more horizontal rows of eyelets l into Ico-operative registry, preparatory to insert- 4'fing the curtain rod therethrough simultaneously, an ornamental cuff or valance having sinusoidal pleats is formed in the curtaintop, said sinusoidal (wave like) effect being in turn imparted to the whole curtain to produce sinusoidal pleats extending vertically substantially throughout the entire length thereof.

In the drawing attached hereto comprising but a, single sheet of four figures numbered Figures 1 'to 4`inclusive.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a pair of curtains embodying the invention suspended from a convenl tional window curtain rod; Fig.' 2isa view of a portion of a curtain top l l showing in greater detail the eyelets and reinforcing bands; A

Fig.' 3 is a detailed view of a portion of the curtain top folded preparatory to the insertion of a curtain rod and showing the ornamental effect; and i f Fig. 4 isa perspective view of a modified method i of hanging the'improv'ed curtain.

' and the side edges of each curtain 10 are also Like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. I

Referring to the drawing the window frame 18 (Fig. 1) may be of any Qselected standard size, but for purposes of the specification it will be assumed toA be six feet in height.v The curtain rod 17 may beof any preferred type, as for example the C shaped two piece adjustable metal curtain rod now in common' use. For a .six foot r l window each of the curtains 10 will preferably be approximately two and one-quarter yards in length and of uniform width throughout their lengths. The extra one-quarter yard forms in effect an extension or curtain top at the upper end of the curtain. It is provided with a plurality of rows of eyelets I14a-14, 15-15, and 16-16, the eyelets being arranged in parallel rows and horizontally and vertically aligned.l 'I'he openings of eyelets 14-14, 15`15, and -75 16-16, are sufficiently large to permit ,free passage of curtain rod 17, with a C shaped metal curtain rod the openings are preferably elongated to conform to the contour of the rod.

The horizontal rows of eyelets are vertically 30 Vspaced a sufficient distance apart so that when the curtain top (Fig. 2) is folded upon itself once (Fig. 4), or twice (Figs. 1 and 3), to bring vertically aligned eyelets 14-14 and 15-15, or 14-14, 15-15, and 16-16 in co-operative registry, preparatory to the insertion of the end of curtain rod 17 through eyelets 14 and 15, or 14, 15 and 16, simultaneously, the top of the curtain forms in effect an Vornamental cuif or valance having a plurality of pleats in sinusoidal (wave) form therein., As the horizontal rows of eyelets 14-14, 15-15, 16-16 and the top and bottom of each curtain 10 are in parallelalignment, and the vertical rows of eyelets 14, 15, 16

' tain top. Eyelets l'and 16 are s 'larly preferably formed in reinforcing bands 12 and 13 respectively. In this manner the curtain is very materiallystrengthened along the line of sus,- pension thereby substantially reducing the risk of tearing. 'I'he reinforcing bands 11,'12, 13, etc., are preferably of contrasting color and/or no design to the curtain 10 thereby greatly enhancing the ornamental appearance of the cuff or valance (compare Figs. 3 and 4).

The invention may be applied to curtains generally but is preferably applied to loom made to be used. The curtain top includes that portion of-the upper end of the curtain extending from the line of the upper edge thereof to the line of the lower edgeof the lowest reinforcing band, as for example from the line of the upper -edge of the reinforcing band 11 (Fig. 2) to the line of the lower edge of the reinforcing band 13 of that gure. The length of the curtain top will depend upon the desired width of the cuff or valance (Fig. 3) and the number of rows of eyelets to be provided for adjusting purposes. In general three rows of eyelets are usually sufficient, although the number of rowsof eyelets may be varied if desired tol meet particular conditions. The length of the curtain top is determined bythe number of rows of eyelets and the desired depth of the cuff or valance. The number of rows of eyelets depends upon the `probable shrinkage as in laundering, and theA depth of the cuff depends upon the size of the curtain rod 17, which in turn depends upon the size of the opening of window 18. As shown in the drawing it is proposed to locate the uppermost passageway comprising the row of eyelets 14 adjacent the top edge of the curtain so as to provide a short upstanding edge band when the curtain is suspended therefrom. While the spacing between the various eyelet rows can be varied to some extent depending upon the size of the curtain rod, the spacing should be relatively close as it is desired that the cuff formed when the top is folded should be sulciently short that with the reinforcement given thereto by the curtain rod the same will be held upstanding and terminate iri a finished folded edge above the rod. With such disposition of the uppermost row of eyelets and such spacing between the eyelet rows, the curtain when hung from any of the rows will present a short upstanding edge band above therod. When hung `from other than the top row the surplus fabric above the suspending row may be conserved in one or more folds and secured to the rod to form a flat cuil, the curtain being suspended or draped as a single thickness of fabric'down hanging from the rod. With a window six feet high and three to four feet wide, using an adjustable C shaped curtain rod, a cuff three inches deep gives an attractive ornamental effect, and based upon experience it is found that three rows of eyelets are sufficient to compensate for shrinkage, so that a'curtain top nine inches long on a curtain two yards long, making the curtain two and one-quarter yards overall, allows an ample margin for adjustment purposes.

The method of hanging is as follows:

Curtains of the desired length and number of rows of eyelets having been selected, the curtain top is folded so that the ornamental bands 11,'12, and 13 coincide bringing the vertically aligned rows of eyelets 14', 15, and 16,'into registry (as shown in Fig. 3), and the curtain rod 17 is then passed through the eyelets (as shown in Fig. 4),

removedfrom the window and laundered a certain amount of shrinkage takes place and if the curtain' were rehung as before an appreciable shortening would be observed. To compensate. for and offset this shrinkage, the curtains 10 are now folded so as to expose the lowest ornamental reinforcing band 13 below the curtain rod 1'7, as shown in Fig. 4, but the ornamental cuff or valance like appearance is still retained, as are the `sinusoidally formed pleats (compare Figs. 1 and 4). The double, triple (or other), thickness, imparted to the cuff or valance, bylfolding the ornamental reinforcing bands 1l, 1 2, 13, etc., tends to give body to the pleats and to maintain their sinusoidal appearance. It also facilitates the free sliding movement of the curtains 10 upon the rod 17, whereby the ornamental effect may be varied as desired. When the curtains 10 are hung with the lowest reinforcing band 13 exposed, as shown in Fig. 4, the eyelets 16 because of their location and the arrangement of the pleats will be substantially concealed-in the folds of the curtains, and not conspicuous to the eye of the observer.

As each curtain is made as a self contained unitary structure, it is all ready to adjust and hang without the necessity of any cutting, hemming, or stitching, of any kind, thereby effecting a great saving of both time and labor upon the housewifes part. The curtains 10 including the reinforcing bands and rows of eyelets having been woven on a loom (or otherwise formed in a machine equipped factory) will have true and nished edges and the rows of eyelets correctly aligned with the edges, and the eyelets accurately and equally spaced, so that when the curtain is hung on the rod 17 it will hang perfectly straight and without sagging. Any preferred color scheme and ornamental eiect can be obtained by varying the colors used, the weave, and/or reinforcing bands 11, 12, and 13, in fact the inventive concept is capable of being given an unlimited variety of expressions, dependent upon the character and degree of ornamentation desired. This is a great improvement over the prior art wherein curtains made to fit a window would shrink and become too short after several launderings. and unless an excess of material for lengthening and re-hemming had been reserved in the .original hem fold the curtains had to be discarded unless made too long originally in order to allow for shrinkage, in which event the curtain was apt to be 'soiled and damaged. Moreover the ornamental effects capable of being produced by the present invention were previously entirely unknown. The curtains may be used either as f panels, or in pairs, or may be arranged in any due to said excess length permost row of eyelets being disposed relatively close to the extreme upper edge of said curtain, said curtain being horizontally foldable so that each of the eyelets in one horizontal row may be brought into unobstructed co-operative registry with the other vertically aligned eyelets in the formed fold to adjustably regulate the length of the curtain while simultaneously transforming the top portion thereof into an ornamental selfsupporting cuff, the said curtain being readily removable and unfoldable for readjustment and resuspension from said xed line of suspension of s aid passageways being disposed adjacent the top edge of thefcurtain, corresponding eyelets in each row being vertically aligned, said curtain being horizontally lfoldable so that the eyelets in one horizontal row may be brought into unobstructed co-operative registry with the other vertically aligned eyelets in the formed fold to adjustably regulate the length of the curtain and provide an eyelet passageway'for receiving the curtain rod and in co-operation ltherewith lock the plies of the formed fold against change of curtain rlength and simultaneously transform said formed fold into a rod reinforced self-supporting ornamental cuff freely slidably mounted upon the curtain rod to variouslyregulate the width and degree of ornamentation of the curtain, said curtain being readily removable and unfoldable for readjustment and resuspension upon said rod,

and from another of said passageways without thereby uncovering any appreciable portion of the area originally covered by the curtain when hung in folded condition.

3. As an article of manufacture a ready-tohang adjustable curtain, having a plurality of horizontal passageways formed therein, certain of said passageways comprising spaced ornamental reinforcing bands having horizontal rows of v eyelets formed therein for receiving a curtain rod whereon said curtain is directly and slidably mounted, one of said passageways being disposed adjacent the top edge of the curtain, corresponding eyelets in each row being vertically aligned, said curtain being horizontally foldable so that the spaced ornamental reinforcing bands maybe brought into optical registry in the formed fold with vertically aligned eyelets in unobstructed cooperative registry, to adjustably regulate the length of the curtain and to provide an eyelet passageway for receiving the curtaimrod, said passageway being operable in conjunction with said curtain rod, to lock the plies of the formed fold against change of curtain length and to simultaneously transform said formed fold into a rodreinforced self-supporting ornamental cuff freely slidably mounted upon the curtain rod to variously regulate the curtain Width and to selectively regulate the degree of ornamentation of the curtain, said curtain being readily removable and unfoldable for readjustment and resuspension uponsaid rod, and from another of said passageways, without thereby uncovering any appreciable portion of the area originally covered by",`

the curtain when hung in folded condition.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a ready-tohang adjustable length curtain terminating in a finishedA upper edge extremity and provided adjacent said edge extremity with a plurality of spaced horizontal rows of eyelets arranged one below the other, the several rows of eyelets being singly and also simultaneously'threadable on a sustaining rod to adjustably hang thecurtain at a line of suspension determinedA by one or another of said eyelet rows, the curtain when threaded on a sustaining rod at the line` of suspension defined by the .uppermost row of eyelets, and also when folded between eyelet rows and with several eyelet rows simultaneously threaded on the rod to hang the curtain at a shorter length from another line of suspension, being freely slidable on the rod and presenting a short rod-reinforced edge band held in upstanding position by the rod and terminating in a finished edge above the rod.

5. A s a new article of manufacture a ready-tohang adjustable length curtain terminating in a finished top edge and having adjacent said top edge a plurality of spaced horizontal rows of eyelets defining different lines of suspension from which the curtain is adapted ,to be adjustably hung on a sustair'iing rod, the uppermost row of eyelets being positioned in close proximity to theI upper extremity of the curtain, the curtain being suspendable from said uppermost row of eyelets asits line of suspension with a single ply of fabric threaded on the sustaining rod and when so suspended presenting a shortvedge area above said suspending uppermost -row of eyelets held by the rod in upstanding position with the finished top edge of the curtain at the curtain extremity above the rod, the curtain being foldable between the rows of eyelets to provide a. -multiple cuff terminating at its upper end in a folded edge and also bringing the several rows of eyelets into un, obstructed registry, the several horizontal rows of eyelets being so spaced relative to each other and the distance therebetween being so proportioned relative to the distance between the uppermost row of eyelets and the upper extremity of the curtain that withthe -rows of eyelets in the several folded plies simultaneously threaded upon the sustaining rod to hang the curtain at a new line of suspension a short cuff will be presented with the several fabric plies locked together in flat relation and with the edge fold of the cuff held upstanding above the rod.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a ready-tohang adjustable length curtain terminating in a distance between the lowermost row of eyelets and the lower end of the curtain before laundering approximates the distance between the'eyelet row -above and the lower end' of the curtain after shrinkage in laundering; the curtain being supgiven length down hanging from .the sustaining rod by forming a foldbetween the eyelet rows to bring theseveral rows into cooperative registry and simultaneously threading the eyelet rows on .portable at the lowermost row of eyelets with a the sustaining rod, and the curtain when so suspended presenting a short 'upstanding cuff terminating above the rod in a self-sustaining folded edge and having the folded plies interlocked and held at by the rod; the curtain after shrinkage in laundering being resuspendable from the sustaining' rod with approximately the same lengthA row, as when hung with a folded cuff, presenting an upstanding self-.supporting finished top edge.

'7. As a new article of manufacture, a ready-tohang curtain having a top portion provided with three or more spaced horizontal rod-engaging passageways each defining lines of suspension from which the curtain can beadjustably hung from a sustaining rod, the uppermost passageway bordering the top edge of the curtain to suspend the curtain without any down hanging valance, the top portion being foldable between the various spaced passageways to adjust the length of the curtain, the passageways spaced from the top edge of the curtain comprising rows of eyelets adapted to be brought into registry when the top portion is folded therebetween 'so as to be simultaneously threadable on the sustaining rod to lock the plies of the formed fold together and to the rod and transform said fold into a self-supporting rod-reinforced cuff.

8. As a new article of manufacture a ready-toto utilize the surplus fabric. and said passageways f to effect said length adjustment, said passageways being variously engageable with the sustaining rod as said surplus fabric is conserved and utilized to hang the curtain at a different line of suspension, the spacing of said passageways measuring generally the shrinkage of the curtain in washing, to provide, by utilizing the surplus fabric, for suspension after laundering with substantially the same length of curtain down hangingfrom the rod as before, the uppermost passageway being disposed adjacent the top fabric edge to provide a short upstanding edge band when the curtain is hung therefrom, the top portion being foldable between eyelet passageways with the eyelets in the surplus fabric and the corresponding eyelets in the suspending passageway eyelet row in cooperative registry, the former eyelets being engageable through the latter by the sustaining rod to form a curtain having a single thickness of fabric down hanging from the sustaining rod and a cuff containing the surplus fabric, said cuff having a short upstanding edge band above the rod, said curtain, cuff, and edge band, presenting substantially the same degree of ornamentation on 

